Ruffy Magbanua
DO you recognize this business? It has a DNA in the food industry and boasts itself as a market leader.
In fact, it reportedly has the largest market share in the industry. Everyone knows this brand. It recruits the best people and their brand looks great on a resume.
However, behind its portrayal of a “good boy” image, there lies the arrogance in the way how it treats its tax obligation with the government – both local and national.
Just recently, its brand name surfaced in the City Council of Cagayan de Oro’s committee on trade, commerce and trade for alleged non-payment of real property tax amounting to a whopping P300 million.
Accordingly, a query has been called by the committee for this brand name to explain why it failed to settle its tax obligations with the local government of Cagayan de Oro.
As host of this brand name, the city demands a convincing explanation as well as on why it has not received its fair share of the revenues the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza) generated out of the operations of this multinational company.
Sadly, this brand name still harps on its so-called contribution to the local economy vis-à-vis job generation, among others.
But this is not the be-all and end-all of its existence. What matters most is the “how and why” it deprives the local government of its due – tax-wise.
Consequently, Congress has called for an investigation into the alleged non-payment of tax liabilities of this company for the taxable years 2011, 2012 and 2013.
But, of course, this brand name has quickly dismissed the allegation, saying it complied its tax obligation with the government for three consecutive years.
The committee however sees no positive sign ahead for the possible settlement of real property tax due to the city government from its 27-hectare seaside property.
And if settlement would be too far off, then the committee has no recourse but recommend for the closure of the firm here.
Indeed, the culture of arrogance seems no boundary to mark off for this brand name, and signs of it are lucid enough as it creeps into its very corporate soul.
This brand name believes that there is no such thing as “return on service” to speak of nor does it have a social obligation to comply with whatsoever.
After all, it’s all about profits before anything else. Sigh.
E-mail: ruffy44_ph2000@yahoo.com
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